Make A (Food Storage) Meal

I got this can freeze dried Diced Roast Beef Steak from our Stake's food storage order a few months ago.  Here's a recipe to use it.

You'll need the following from your food storage:

Dried Roast Beef Steak 

Tomato Sauce

Green Beans

Garlic Powder

Potato Pearls

Prepare the Beef Steak as directed.  I used 1 cup of chunks.  When chunks (yes, I'm going to refer to the meat as chunks.  Get some, you'll understand.  Although the chunks do smell like meat.  Hey!  It is meat!  Anyway...) are fully hydrated, put them in a small baking dish with a can of green beans and 2 small cans of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Maybe some salt. Mix it all up. Make the potato pearls as directed. Top the casserole with potatoes. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top.  Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes.

Yum-a-licious!

Isaac and Sam wouldn't touch the stuff. 
Ruthie refused to eat the green beans. 
Daniel thought the chunks tasted pretty good.  (like meat!)
I warned everyone in the house that when they are starving and all of the Ramen is gone, they
WILL EAT THIS!!

Epic Fail

I saw this beautiful dessert that my friend put on Facebook.  I thought I'd try it.

So Sunday afternoon Ruthie and I got the brownie mix, the pretzels and the caramel.

You put 1/3 of the brownie mix in the baking dish, then stack 2 layers of pretzels, then put the rest of the brownie mix, then bake.  Then the recipe says to put the caramel on when it comes out of the oven.  Then you sprinkle some sea salt on top.  Then you cut it and enjoy it. You get salty, chocolatey and sweet all together in one pan. 

 

The problem...

Don't put the caramel on right after it comes out of the oven. 

Wait til it cools. 

And use smaller pretzels. 

And cook the brownies for a long time.

Or just make regular brownies.

Or go buy brownies.

 

Epic Fail!

The Basement Updated

Let's head to the basement. 

Daniel painted the floor so that we can put the freezer on it and eventually add shelves.  The carpet will go up to that paint.

It's a yellow bathroom!  Oh My!  I was painting the furniture for the basement and was finished and had extra paint in the pan.  So I painted the bathroom.  It's a really nice shade of yellow.

And now onto the finishing work.  See that near the floor??  Baseboards.  Oh my life never felt so complete.  But wait...

Do you see that around yonder door?  Oh my.  It's.. it's.. it's.., door framing!  All the doors are on and the boards are up around them.  We still need to take the doors down to paint.  But that's easy!

And now let's go back upstairs.  Yes, the living room walls are the same color as the walls in the basement family room.  But I've got something else to show ya.  See those chairs??  Those are my first official furniture pieces for the living room.  I am in love with them.  And what are those things on those chairs, you ask?  CARPET SAMPLES!!! 

Oh, yes, my darling ones.  We are getting carpet.  The carpet measuring guy is coming today and will measure the basement and all the carpeted rooms upstairs. 

 

My life is just about complete.

Wait.  I need chocolate...

Tea Party.

Saturday was our annual Abbie's Tea Party for Ruthie and me and all the ladies in the family.

We had a very nice lunch and then read a fun book called Extra Yarn.  It was such a fun book about giving.  After reading we made cute little hair accessories. 

 

Then we went home.

 

Thanks Abbie for a fun Tea Party!

Some Faves.

Have you ever gotten home from church at 4:15 pm, like midnight, and realize you didn't get anything out to thaw and everyone's hungry and you have a roast in the freezer and decide to have that for dinner.  In an hour?

Well, you put that frozen roast in this handy dandy slow cooker/pressure cooker, add a few potatoes and carrots and salt and pepper and water, and hit pressure cook on high and then in 75 minutes, well, you have dinner.  I love my pressure cooker.  Rice in 6 minutes.  Frozen roast in less than 90 minutes.  Get one.  You'll love it!

I got some pretzel rolls and then heated one up in the microwave and then dipped it in mustard and then died and went to heaven and then came back and got another one.  Try it.  You'll love it.

Daniel got me a Sodastream for Christmas.  I really wanted a tablet, or a new spice rack, or knives, or a certain book.  But I got a soda maker.  And it has been so much fun!!  So I bought myself the book, (Women and the Priesthood by Sheri Dew Love Love) bought my own spice refills, sharpened my knives and reminded Daniel that my birthday is just a couple weeks away.  Because I want to move up in the world and have a tablet.  And I'll look at Facebook on it while I drink my homemade soda!  So there!

I had earned myself $20 in Kohls cash and went to that store to spend just that.  I got there and looked around and then looked at purses.  Death!  Then I realized everything was on sale. Wahoo! So I stole a peak at the Simply Vera purses.  You know, Vera Wang, the designer.  Those one hundred dollar purses were on sale.  Big sale.  And I had $20 in Kohls cash.  And I had a bit of cash in my purse.  So I bought myself a Vera Wang purse.  And I love to touch it.  It's real and it's soft.  It's small.  So I leave stuff at home while I'm out.  I don't need much.  Just Vera and me. 

New Things.

Ruthie went in for her 2 year eye exam.  She's wanted new frames for a while, so we got some.

She chose the "dork" look.  They are black on the outside and blue on the inside.  She is a doll!  And certainly NOT a dork!

Sam has this deal where he has to be constantly moving.  And if his energy isn't specifically geared in one direction, it gets splattered all over.  And we don't like that.  So I did what any mom would do.  I got him a mini trampoline.  Best Mom Decision EVER!  He just gets on it and jumps.  And jumps.  And jumps.  And jumps. And jumps.  And jumps.  And jumps.

And jumps.

It's awesome!

Got Goat Coats?

Isaac sent this email to Abbie with pictures and details for goat coats.  So my mom, being wonderful and all, emails Isaac back asking for more specific measurements.  So Isaac did.  Then, last week, Isaac got a package in the mail.  This is what was inside...

Each of my kids went and put a goat coat on each of their goat kids.

They velcroed underneath and I don't think the goats were quite sure of what to do.  Waffles was unable to walk after the coat went on, so Ruthie carried him.

Abbie also sent a dog sweater that didn't fit her dog.  Why not try it on the goats?! 

It fit.

So there you have it.  Isaac also emailed Abbie with ideas on how to make the family Christmas Eve party cooler next year.  Such a hoot.